By Sean Duncan
Executive Director

It’s been a busy three-plus months since the last overall Class of 2018 rankings update. Spanning the spring high school season and the first half of the summer - both on the state and national levels - our boots-on-the-ground scouting staff has seen a dizzying amount of baseball. All of which is reflected in our updated and expanded Top 400 Class of 2018 rankings.

It is important to note that the PBR overall rankings only include the states that we intimately know from our scouting staff. The updated Top 400 Class of 2018 rankings is comprised of our current 35-state coverage area, which now includes recently added Mississippi.

With the Class of 2018 now taking center stage after June’s MLB Draft, much has changed. While there have been significant shake-ups throughout the overall rankings, the top remains largely intact.

OF Jarred Kelenic (Waukesha West HS, WI) holds firm at the No. 1 spot. While this 2018 class features a bevy of high-level power arms, Kelenic’s legitimate five-tool skill-set - particularly his polished left-handed bat - separates him from his peers.

 

Florida’s 2018 class is especially deep and talented this year, even for Florida’s lofty standards. Four Florida prospects reside in the top 10 - and 13 of the top 50 - headlined by RHP/C Mason Denaburg (Merritt Island HS, FL), RHP Slade Cecconi (Trinity Prep HS, FL), 1B Triston Casas (American Heritage HS, FL) and switch-hitting SS Nander De Sedas (Montverde Academy HS, FL). Both Denaburg and Cecconi are athletically built righties who have been in the 93-97 mph range this summer, while Casas features the best left-handed power bat in the class. De Sedas has separated himself as the premier middle infield prospect in our coverage area.

RHP Cole Winn (Silver Creek HS, CO) and OF Michael Siani (William Penn Charter HS, PA) also hold firm in the top 10.

Three new names slide up into the top 10, starting with C/INF Noah Naylor (St. Joan of Arc, ON), who vaults to No. 4 after his eye-opening performance at the PBR Ontario ProCase. If the Naylor name sounds familiar, it’s because his older brother, Josh, was a first-rounder three years ago. OF Alek Thomas (Mount Carmel HS, IL) moves back into the top 10 after delivering in big ways, both during the high school season and throughout the national showcase circuit this summer. At the PBR Midwest ProCase in June, the left-handed hitting centerfielder ran a 6.43 laser-timed 60 while showcasing his high-level defensive and offensive skill-set. Few players in the country were more dominant this spring than LHP Ryan Weathers (Loretto HS, TN), and the Vanderbilt recruit carried his dominance into the summer. Over the last year, Weathers has steadily climbed the ranks up to No. 9.

 

Noah Naylor

Texas’ loaded 2018 class has some of the biggest overall risers in the updated Top 400 list, starting with LHP Jonathan Childress (Forney HS, TX), who’s now the top prospect in the Lone Star state, RHP Matt Rudis (Madisonville HS, TX), INF Jordan Groshans (Magnolia HS, TX), RHP Riggs Threadgill (Fredricksburg HS, TX) and LHP/1B Joseph Menefee (George Ranch HS, TX).

There were many big risers outside of Texas, too. Some of the most significant risers include: RHP/INF Seth Halvorsen (Heritage Christian Academy HS, MN), RHP Mike Vasil (Boston College HS, MA), RHP Lenny Torres (Beacon HS, NY), OF Robby Martin (Jefferson HS, FL), OF Zaid Walker (Homewood-Flossmoor HS, IL), OF Denzel Clarke (Everest Academy, ON), OF Jordyn Adams (Green Hope HS, NC), OF Levi Usher (Cedar Rapids Prairie HS, IA), C Adrian Del Castillo (Gulliver Prep HS, FL) and LHP Drew Rom (Highlands HS, KY), to name a few.
Enough reading about it. See for yourself.

A look at the Top 20:

RANK	NAME	STATE	SCHOOL	CLASS	POS	COMMITMENT
1	Jarred Kelenic	WI	Waukesha West	2018	OF	Louisville
2	Mason Denaburg	FL	Merritt Island	2018	C	Florida
3	Slade Cecconi	FL	Trinity Prep	2018	RHP	Miami
4	Noah Naylor	ON	St.Joan of Arc	2018	C	Texas A&M
5	Triston Casas	FL	American Heritage	2018	1B	Miami
6	Nander De Sedas	FL	Montverde Academy	2018	SS	Florida State
7	Alek Thomas	IL	Mount Carmel	2018	OF	Texas Christian
8	Cole Winn	CO	Silver Creek	2018	RHP	Mississippi State
9	Ryan Weathers	TN	Loretto	2018	LHP	Vanderbilt
10	Mike Siani	PA	William Penn Charter	2018	OF	Virginia
11	Jonathan Childress	TX	Forney	2018	LHP	Texas A&M
12	JT Ginn	MS	Brandon	2018	RHP	Mississippi State
13	Austin Becker	OH	Big Walnut	2018	RHP	Vanderbilt
14	Owen White	NC	Jesse C Carson	2018	RHP	South Carolina
15	Jack Perkins	IN	Kokomo	2018	RHP	Louisville
16	Matt Rudis	TX	Madisonville	2018	RHP	Texas Christian
17	Brandon Howlett	FL	George W. Jenkins	2018	3B	Florida State
18	Elijah Cabell	FL	TNXL Academy	2018	OF	Louisiana State
19	Joe Gray	MS	Hattiesburg	2018	OF	Mississippi
20	Simeon Woods - Richardson	TX	Kempner	2018	RHP	Texas

>> CLICK HERE for Complete Top 400 List